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Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) recently initiated an Antibiotic Stewardship Program (ASP) as a result of two global phenomena: 1) the emergence of multi-drug resistant organisms and 2) a failure to develop new anti-infective agents.

Outsmarting the bugsAntibiotic resistance is the ability of a microbe to outsmart or evade the current arsenal of antibiotic drugs available. There are other organisms such as viruses and fungi that cause illness, but antibiotics aren’t effective against them.

“The ‘drivers’ of resistance are many, but we know that the more an antibiotic is used the more likely it is that an organism will find a way to ‘dodge the bullet’ and become resistant,” explains Dr. David Williams, lead physician for HCMC’s ASP. Continue reading →